A little girl was playing in the garden when she spotted two spiders mating. "Daddy, what are those two spiders doing?" she asked. "They're mating," her father replied. "What do you call the spider on top, Daddy?" she asked. "That's a daddy longlegs." her father answered. "So, the other one is a mommy longlegs?" the little girl asked. "No," her father replied. "Both of them are daddy longlegs." The little girl thought for a moment, then took her foot and stamped them flat. "Well, we're not having THAT moffie-kak in our garden!"
Well we will have to wait and see. In anticipation I did put some flat rocks in the tank last night but I am not getting my hopes up. Natalie
In that case I definately will be waiting before I get more. How will I know if it is babies on the way or just male's being themselves? If they do I will post some pic's here . Jumping the gun a bit - but can I still do necessary water changes and if so just a bit at a time or the 20% i normally do. Natalie
Hey natalie No worriesabout jumping the gun, you have to be prepared for when/if it happens. Once they have paired off a largish water change might trigger them into spawning. Read the pages on thekrib, it is actually possible to differentiate the males from the females even though it is a bit difficult http://www.thekrib.com/Apisto/P-altispinosa.html
You will find that once the pair has formed they will be inseparable, there will be alot of aggression from them towards the lesser male (target fish). The pair will first lay eggs on a smooth stone (supply a smooth pebble for them). Once the eggs have hatched the female usually starts to dig little pits all around the tank, she will take the fry into her mouth and carry them to the pits. You may find that the first or second spawn does not go well as sometimes the new parents eat the fry, but they do get the hang of it on the second or so spawning. If you have a power filter it would be wise to put a sponge pre filter on the inlet so that he fry do not get sucked in accidentally. You can feed them crushed flake at first and then later with baby brine shrimp. If this is a community tank there's a good chance that predation will occur from other tank inhabitants, this usually happens when it's dark as the parents cannot see and thus defend the fry. Sometimes putting on a night light next to the tank will ensure a higher survival rate. I would still do water changes but not as much in one go, perhaps smaller but more frequent water changes will suffice during this stage. Also make sure that it's aged water and not 'new water' as this will hurt the fry too.
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